Chapter 34

Shocked that his friend would consider him to be capable of murder, Carter listened with incredulity as Jenna went on to bring him up to date about Kane’s and Tauri’s abductions. He tossed his toothpick in the trash and blew out a long breath. After staring at his hands for some moments to allow his timeline to fall into place, he lifted his head and met Jenna’s eyes. “First up, my intel on the members of the cartel was solid. I had copies of the arrest warrants and we had everyone in the immediate circle.” He flicked a gaze at Kane. “We all know the families are large and widespread. We can’t arrest every member of the family. Some have never committed a crime. Mateo we arrested. I was there when they put him on the bus to County. Check the records. They’ll show he is still there. He must be because I’ve received no reports of an escape from the prison. If I had, you’d be the first person I’d notify, and Styles would know as well. I can assure you no one outside of the team knew your name, Dave.”

“Somehow, he got out or was never there. Someone gave them my name. There’s a mole in your team.” Kane glared at him. “Mateo planned to torture my son, Ty.” He ran a hand down his face. “I’m hoping the threat has been neutralized for now. Styles took out Mateo and one of his men. I took out two in the barn before Mateo tossed a grenade into the room. We barely escaped with our lives. In fact, it was pure dumb luck that before all hell broke loose, they dragged a heavy metal table into the room and laid out the tools to dissect my son. I used it as a shield.”

“I don’t know how that could possibly happen.” Carter looked from one to the other. “I imagine Styles is investigating a mole in the FBI?”

“Yeah, he called this morning.” Jenna nodded. “With all this happening and you MIA, it’s been a difficult time.”

Carter removed his hat and tossed it onto the desk. “And now I’m implicated in three murders. Anyone I know?”

He listened with interest as Jenna went over the cases and the times he apparently met the victims. In his mind’s eye, he made out the faces of the women. He stood to stare at the whiteboard and swallowed hard at the crime scene images. He recognized all of the victims and had a vague recollection of when he’d last seen them. “Yeah, I’ve spoken to these women.”

“Do you want a lawyer?” Jenna leaned forward and read him his rights. “Before you incriminate yourself any further, I suggest you get legal advice.”

Shaking his head, Carter stared at her. “No, I don’t want a lawyer because I haven’t killed anyone.” He shot Kane a look. “You know me, Dave. I figure we’re friends. How could you possibly believe I’d do such a thing?” He moved his gaze to Jenna. “You honestly figure I’d be stupid enough to commit murder in your town?” He waved a hand around the room. “With this team and Wolfe? I’d need to be crazy to attempt something like that, and I’m not.”

“The evidence is there. You’re one of three current suspects.” Kane flipped around his laptop to show the CCTV footage from the general store and the hot food bar. “Don’t tell me this isn’t you. All of these women are dead. Explain that if you can.”

On vacation, the last thing Carter worried about was time or the day of the week. He had six months leave due and had taken two weeks. He’d planned to call Jo and ask her if everything was okay in a day or so. They’d had all their calls diverted to other field offices. He did recall going into the stores and speaking to the women working there. In fact, he always talked to women in stores. Being a sociable guy, it was part of his personality, but that shouldn’t make him a suspect in three grisly murders. Nodding, he looked at Kane. “Days kinda roll together when I’m on vacation but I’ll do my best. One is easy to check because I recall asking Jennifer to recommend a beauty parlor for me. I went and got my hair cut the same day. The stylist that cut my hair went by the name of Donna. We got along real well and she didn’t care that I was FBI, in fact, she gave me her card.” He pulled out his wallet and extracted a card and handed it to Kane. “Trudy Newman. She’ll verify the day. I think it was Friday last. In fact, it was because I dropped by the pizzeria and took home a pie. That’s where I met Johanna.” He stared at the ceiling. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll try and recall what days I was in the stores, because most of the time I was fishing or hiking in the forest.”

“Why were you in the general store three times in a week?” Jenna leaned on the table. Her expression was unreadable.

Carter shook his head. “I wasn’t.” He frowned. “I purchased a new lock for my cabin, is all. We chatted like you do, being social.” He pointed to the whiteboard. “That would be Dakota. She found the lock I needed. I paid and left. I had no need to go back three times.”

“What about visiting the market and the hot food bar?” Kane leaned forward and indicated to his screen. “The manager said you were seen there numerous times. Both of the victims worked there. You’ve admitted speaking to them. We have CCTV footage of you in the stores.” He opened his hands. “What would you do in our position?”

Mind rushing a thousand miles per hour, Carter tried to think rationally. He hadn’t murdered anyone, so someone was trying to frame him. It was the only explanation. “You’re making assumptions on two short pieces of footage. I’d want all the footage analyzed using facial recognition before I jumped to conclusions.” He sighed. “If this takes a court order, I’ll lawyer up to get justice because while you’re blaming me, a killer is still out there hunting down women.”

“You deny going to the market and hot food bar?” Kane’s expression hadn’t changed. “When we have you on CCTV?”

Annoyed but determined to keep calm, Carter nodded. “I’ve already admitted going there. I purchased food a few times, coffee and milk most times. I purchased a to-go cup of coffee one day and donuts.” He moved his gaze back to Jenna. “The problem is I didn’t murder anyone. Just how were they killed? Shot in both eyes?” He swung his gaze back to Kane. “That would take your degree of skill, not mine.”

“They weren’t shot.” Kane raised both eyebrows. “See if you were the killer, I’d expect a comment like that. You’re digging a hole for yourself, Ty.”

“Do you honestly believe I’d plot to kill you, Dave, or commit murder? Give me a break.”

“Personally, no, I don’t believe you killed anyone.” Kane met his gaze. “You took charge of the team in the sting, so the blame of who leaked information on me rests on your shoulders.” A nerve in his cheek twitched. “Mistakes on missions cost lives and not checking the backgrounds on all operatives is unforgiveable.”

Unnerved, Carter straightened. “I checked them out. Kalo checked them out. They were all solid. If there was a leak, it came from somewhere else. Or one of Mateo’s men recognized you. It’s the only explanation.”

“If my family is going to continue living here, I need answers.” Kane shook his head. “There must be a communications trail. Find it.”

Meeting his gaze head-on, Carter glared at him. “Don’t you figure that’s all I’ve had on my mind since I walked in here?” Trying to remain calm, he turned back to Jenna. “You gonna hold me on suspicion of murdering those women or do you want me to help you solve these crimes and get to the bottom of the darn leak?”

“That depends.” Jenna leaned back in her chair, staring at him. “I don’t believe you’d murder anyone, so I’ll wait until Agent Katz is done with the CCTV footage. She has everything we’ve collected plus she’s hunting down cameras all over town. It is part of her special skills.” Her lips flattened into a thin line. “Here’s the deal. I want you to be in communication with us at all times. Keep your phone and satellite phone at hand. As soon as we have the footage analyzed, I’ll call you.” She met his gaze. “This is in your best interest. Think about it, Ty, if you spoke to Jo about profiling this guy, the fact you want to insert yourself into the investigation would be a major red flag. You know that, right?”

Nodding, Carter pinched his bottom lip considering her suggestions. Jenna had acted in his favor by trusting him not to take off. She believed him and it warmed his heart. He shrugged. It was obvious Kane blamed him for the leak in the FBI. He understood his anger and the team’s suspicions. “Yeah, and I’m a nice guy. I was in the vicinity of the victims. I’d hold me for questioning.” He nodded and offered Kane his hand. “I did my best to protect you and I know what happened is unforgivable, but I’ll find out who did leak your name.” He waved a hand toward the whiteboard. “I haven’t touched one hair of those women’s heads and I’ll be proved innocent. I’ll be in my cabin or close by waiting for your call. You have my word.”

“We’re trusting your word, Ty, so see that you pick up.” Kane stood and narrowed his gaze. He took his hand in a vicelike grip and his expression hardened to ice. “After what happened to my son, if I discover you’re involved, you really don’t want me hunting you down.”